“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

We often make excuses as to why we can’t leave our comfort zone and familiar spaces to travel the world. We put so many limitations on our abilities to make a travel plan and follow through with it. I constantly hear people say: “I would love to travel more”; “this year is the year I am going to see the world” or, “someday when I’m making more money I’ll take that trip.” And for whatever reason, that someday just never comes.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to force you into doing something you’re just not ready for; rather, it is my goal to encourage you to explore the idea of traveling and to realize that there are feasible ways to make your dream trip come true. It’s important to note that, traveling is not something that just happens unless you are rolling in a lot of “dough” and your last name is “Gates” or “Winfrey” where you can just hop on your private jet or yacht and see the world. No, for us regular folks, in order to travel we have to plan and save up.

In this post we explore 4 common excuses many people use to discourage themselves from pursuing their dream trip. We also provide feasible solutions to help you get over these limitations and explore the world.

1. I can’t afford to travel, it’s too expensive …

I can’t afford to travel, it’s too darn expensive. I mean the plane tickets are costly, excess baggage fees, lodging, transportation and activities will set me back financially. This is probably one of the most common excuses.

While this is true, to travel you do need to spend money (I mean let's be real nothing is free in life). However, there are a few ways you can travel on a budget without breaking the bank.

Select a cheaper destination: Ok I know you probably want to hit up Dubai or Saint Tropez, but if you don’t have P- diddy money you might want to settle for a far cheaper destination that is more enriching. Have you been to Bali, India, Thailand, Jamaica, The Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Belize, Indonesia or Sri Lanka? If you do your research and pick wisely you can find the perfect place to travel for less. In many of the above countries listed you can eat well, sleep comfortably, and basks in many cultural experiences for less than a $100 depending on your length of stay.

Frequent Flyer Points (FFP): take advantage of your frequent flyer points; it’s the easiest way to minimize travel costs. With your FFP, you can seriously fly round trip and stay a couple of nights for less than $200 depending on your travel location. Connect with your favorite airlines to get more information.

Groupon deals: Ahh yes, my go to app for travel deals. I absolutely love Groupon Getaway deals and discounts. This app provides you with discounted package deals that sometimes include airfare and accommodations to places like Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. In this tough economy definitely checkout Groupon deals!

Creative funding: This seems to be the new innovative ways to fund yourself! You can create a crowdfunding campaign and send it to your friends and family and have them contribute to your trip expenses. You can also sublet your apartment or home using Airbnb or Homestay while you’re gone and not pay rent.

Lastly, instead of spending your money on things like clothes, shoes etc. sacrifice a little and save up, trust me the experiences and memories you create while traveling will make it all worth it.

2. I don’t have the time, I have to work

Ahh yes this one; many of us live in a capitalist world and with that we have to work to earn our daily bread. Taking time off from work can be difficult depending on your employer, job and position. While it can be tricky, it’s still important to make the time to take the time (get it, ha!). I always say, life is way too short to sit around and tell yourself that one day I’m going to take that dream trip. So just do it!

It’s for your own good: Convince yourself you need this time off for your own emotional and spiritual well being

Put in advance notice: Make sure you give your employer enough notice when requesting your time off. You don’t need to take off a month (I mean that would be nice right?) if you can only take a week or two off that’s enough time to take a quick trip to a sunny beach destination. (I mean Puerto Rico and Mexico are right around the corner)

Get Creative: Make sure you plan your trip so it falls on a national holiday or a long weekend. I have taken a week of vacation time and made sure it either fell on Labor Day weekend, memorial weekend or 4th of July. That way I have extra time off to relax and enjoy my trip.

3. I hate traveling alone and I have no one to go with…

I’ve heard this one before, I have no one to travel with, I feel weird traveling by myself and it won’t be fun without a traveling companion. Well if you wait until you always have someone then you will be waiting for a while. Although, having a familiar face with you while traveling makes the trip feels comfortable, however, some of my best travel experiences came from taking solo trips. It forced me into taking full advantage of the experience and it allowed me to indulge in the beauty that surrounded me. I’m talking from the cultural experiences , to the yummy cuisines, and interesting souls I met along the way.

Before you take your solo trip make sure you do your research:

You can stay at a Hostel: this is the place for meeting new friends just like yourself. Just make sure to research the hostel to ensure that it’s safe and friendly, a lot of hostels also have daily planned activities so take advantage ( tourist tours, communal dinners, special events etc.)!

Travel Groups: There are tons of group traveling expeditions and experiences to sign up for like Travel Noire’s TN experiences where strangers can sign up to take a trip together with the TN crew and also the under30experience: where young professionals under the age of 30 can come together and explore their favorite places. So take advantage of these.

Social Networks: Lastly, tap into your own social network of friends: post on your social media pages to see if you have any old school friends and classmates living in the place you want to visit. And then meet up with them while you are there.

4. “Ain’t nobody got time for the paper work”​

In my opinion this is a lame excuse, come on you can’t expect to enter another country without a legal document so yeah you need to handle the boring paperwork prior to your trip. There’s no bypassing this unless you want to be locked up abroad!

Depending on your citizenship some countries allow you to travel without a visa or even passport, but you need some form of documentation. Head to the country website you will like to travel to and research the documentation needed.

Typically when traveling you need these common documents:

Passport: if you don’t have one, make sure to apply for it in advance. At least 6-8 weeks before your trip or if you do have a passport make sure it’s up to date (not approaching its expiration date as some visas are dependent on passport expiry dates)

Visa: Check the visa requirements of the country you are visiting, and if you need one, go through the process to get one.

Health Requirements: Depending on the country, you might need some shots, travel insurance and/or health documents. Make sure you check with the country’s embassy or consulate offices.​

Once you arrive at your travel destination, make sure to register yourself to your country of citizenship embassy and let them know you are there in case of any emergency or safety issue. Better safe than sorry I’d say.

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I hope these tips are useful and helpful. I advise that you ponder on the excuses/limitations above, and explore the solutions provided. Ask yourself if traveling is worth it and if you are willing to put in the time to plan and prioritize the trip. Then my wanderlusts friends, go ahead and explore the seven continents!